I describe it as “serious” because the last film about Calamity Jane was the lighthearted musical with Doris Day from 1953. However, this isn’t a straightforward biographical picture of Martha Jane Canary, given its obvious embellishments and the fact that the narrative centers on the day Wild Bill Hickok was shot playing poker in Deadwood and Jack McCall's subsequent arrest—meaning we are dealing with just a few days. It is said that Jane led a group intending to lynch McCall, but the notion of her participating in a small group pursuing Bill’s killer seems fabricated. Still, it does make for an engaging story (something emphasized at the film’s conclusion). Another departure from what actually happened is the somewhat wintry setting; Hickok was killed and his murderer captured in August 1876. The suggestion that Jane and Hickok were a couple, planning to marry, also raises questions. In reality, he had married Agnes Thatcher Lake five months before his death, though she was in Wyoming when he died. It’s possible Hickok encountered Jane after her release from military custody at Fort Laramie (or perhaps after being discharged from an institution, as she claimed), and joined the wagon train that Wild Bill was on, which arrived in Deadwood in July 1876. While Jane maintained they were close, even married, historians generally believe they barely knew each other. However, what occurs on the frontier remains on the frontier, so it’s difficult to say for sure. It is accurate, though, that Jane was a rough, outspoken frontierswoman and skilled shooter with a fondness for alcohol. All of this is shown in the film. She also enjoyed telling stories, which meant she would invent or exaggerate details to entertain people. I had reservations about seeing this Western before because the director previously made "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story," which wasn't very good, eight years ago. But he either had a larger budget this time around, or he has grown as a filmmaker (or perhaps both), because it’s a well-made modern Western with impressive locations, sets, lighting, costumes, and acting, along with some action sequences. The first half is better, though; it's more focused on introducing the characters in Deadwood, while the second part mainly involves people shooting or stabbing each other in the wilderness. Those who like fast-paced action will probably enjoy that portion more than I did. The film’s length is 1 hour and 35 minutes, and filming took place in 2023 in Kamloops, British Columbia, and 190 miles southwest of there at Jamestown Film Set in Langley Township, which is 30 miles southeast of Vancouver. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB